Ranking the last 10 Atlanta Hawks first-round picks
By Nate Friesen
2. John Collins
John Collins was and still is such an amazing pick late in the first round. He was selected 19th overall in the 2017 NBA draft and has proved every team that passed on him wrong. Collins currently is and is going to be an important part of this Hawks team for years to come.
In his third NBA season, John Collins averaged 21.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game with shooting splits of .583/.401/.800. These are crazy good numbers that would have warranted Collins some All-Star consideration had he not started the season with a 25-game suspension.
John Collins is almost certainly going to be an All-Star in the very near future and is the perfect pick-and-roll partner for Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young. Especially if Collins is able to maintain this elite level three-point shooting, he will be a lock for multiple All-Star games in the future.
In my opinion, John Collins is the most important part of this young Hawks core. If Collins is able to be the legitimate number two option alongside Trae Young, the Hawks could be future contenders. But if he’s only a number three option type player or worse… the Hawks will need to find someone else to fill that secondary role.